When I was four, my seven-year-old brother received a baseball mitt (手套) for his birthday. Every night, as we went to sleep, I’d listen to him throwing a ball into the mitt over and over to soften the leather. I wanted a mitt so much that I almost cried. But, back then, girls didn’t play sports; they played with dolls.
Fast-forward twenty-six years. Now a thirty-year-old mother of three happened to see a notice in my local paper: “Women’s Slow-Pitch Softball League opens soon. Anyone interested, sign up at the recreation center.” I cut it out and set it on the kitchen counter. Could I ? After all these years? Was it even possible to think about playing baseball, a game I’d never actually played but had dreamed of playing my entire life? And I’d certainly watched enough Chicago Cubs games to know how the game was played.
I looked at that notice on my counter every day. I thought of a thousand reasons why I couldn’t play. But the idea of playing baseball stuck in my head and wouldn’t go away. Finally, I got up my courage and signed up at the recreation center. On the way home, I bought myself a mitt.
On Monday, heart pounding, I walked through the park filled with women of all ages practicing. It took me a while to find my team. They were all high-school girls, seventeen and eighteen years old!
The coach was not at all happy to see me. He had put together top athletes for his team, and he didn’t want some old lady messing things up.
That first day, he had me run bases. What that meant was I’d stand near home plate(本垒板)while one of the girls batted, and then I’d run as hard as I could to first base, trying to get there before they threw me out. I did this over and over and over. I never got a chance to bat or play the field. I just ran bases all night. The next morning, I could barely stand.
注意:
1.续写词数应为 150左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
I was still feeling pain when I showed up to play the next week.
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Having seen my determination, the coach changed his attitude toward me.
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The opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games
The ceremony
During the parade, images of West Lake were projected (投射) onto the floor screen,
The opening ceremony
3 . Hangzhou, China—a stunning opening ceremony laden with Hangzhou characteristics amazed the world on Saturday, as President Xi Jinping declared the 19th Asian Games open.
With the city’s profound history, culture and its modern image presented in an eye-catching and high-tech fashion, the opening show helped to express the host’s warm hospitality and its wish to unite the world through sports. Following an opening performance depicting the autumn equinox (秋分), one of China’s 24 solar terms that celebrates the harvest season, over 50,000 spectators burst into cheers as Xi announced the opening of the Hangzhou Games, making the Zhejiang provincial capital the third Chinese city to host the continental sporting gala, following Beijing in 1990 and Guangzhou in 2010.
Wang Hao, president of the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou Organizing Committee, said Hangzhou is honored to play host to such a grand event, which started on September 23rd. Raja Randhir Singh, the acting president of the Olympic Council of Asia, showed appreciation for the Chinese host’s meticulous (细心的) organization in his speech. “You have done a fantastic job in preparing for the Asian Games. The one-year postponement due to the pandemic was unprecedented in OCA history, but your diligence and determination will bear fruit over the next 16 days and you will be rewarded with the most magnificent and successful Asian Games ever,” said Singh.
Supported by new technologies, the Hangzhou ceremony boasted many historic firsts. For the first time in China, organizers switched from a traditional fireworks show to a virtual display, projected (放映) onto a giant curtain screen the size of nine IMAX screens.
To adhere to the principle of delivering the greenest possible Games, zero-emission methanol was used to fuel all of the torches and the main cauldron. For the finale, hundreds of millions of virtual sparks, each representing a participant of the online torch relay, formed the shape of a human torchbearer, who ran into the stadium to light the main cauldron together with the physical relay’s final bearer — Zhejiang native and Olympic champion swimmer, Wang Shun.
1. Why was the autumn equinox depicted at the beginning of the Hangzhou Asian Games Opening Ceremony?A.Because Hangzhou wants to show its warm hospitality. |
B.Because Hangzhou wishes to unite the world through sports. |
C.Because Hangzhou highlights the history of China. |
D.Because Hangzhou wishes participants a good harvest in the game. |
A.It is the fourth time that China has hosted the Asian Games. |
B.The Asian Games was supposed to be held in 2022. |
C.Wang Hao sang high praise for the organization of the game. |
D.Raja Randhir Singh was responsible for the organization of the game. |
A.By fueling all torches and the main cauldron with coal. |
B.By displaying virtual fireworks and demonstrating the history of the city. |
C.By employing zero-emission methanol and installing a giant curtain screen. |
D.By representing a participant of the online torch relay |
A.Technology and Tradition Combine for the Hangzhou Opening Gala |
B.History Goes Down in the Hangzhou Opening Gala |
C.Meticulous Organization is Praised by the World |
D.Best Wishes are Conveyed in the Hangzhou Opening Gala |
4 . Sportsmen in the running races of the Olympics are great athletes, but even the slow runners of the running world — joggers in the park — have good health. A study out this week in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology finds that even 5 to 10 minutes a day of slow running is enough to extend life by several years, compared with not running at all.
The new study focused on a group of more than 55, 000 men and women aged 18 to 100. About a quarter of them were runners. Over 15 years, those who ran just 50 minutes a week or fewer at a slow speed were less likely to die from either cardiovascular (心血管的) disease or other causes, compared with those who didn’t run at all.
The study suggests relatively low efforts are necessary to benefit from jogging, but it can be better to exercise more often. “A little bit is good but a little more is probably better,” says Dr. Aaron Baggish. A 2013 study in Denmark suggested that the secret of maximum longevity is up to 2. 5 hours of running a week.
Although running can make you less likely to have cardiovascular disease, it doesn’t entirely take the risk away from you. “There is no question that the healthier you are and the more exercise you do, the longer you’ll live and the better your quality of life will be,” Dr. Baggish says. “But it doesn’t mean you’ll never get sick.”
“Many long-term runners do not run because they want to live longer,” Dr. Baggish notes. “They run because it makes them feel better every day.”
For these runners, the cost of feeling good can be injuries, so Dr. Baggish supports the value of what he calls “active rest.” His belief, not supported by any recent research, is that it’s a good idea to spend 25% of exercise time over the course of a year running at a slow speed or doing other activities like swimming or biking.
1. What does the new study mainly show us?A.The best way to run. | B.The best time to run. |
C.The importance of running. | D.The popularity of running. |
A.It can result from running often. | B.It’s not completely preventable. |
C.It’s not so serious as most people think. | D.It can be treated by some kind of exercise. |
A.Staying active all the time. | B.Swimming more, run less. |
C.Having a big rest after doing sports. | D.Taking a little light exercise. |
A.Health. | B.Business. | C.Society. | D.Medicine. |
1. Which team was the speaker in?
A.The netball team. | B.The football team. | C.The tennis team. |
A.The elephant. | B.The lion. | C.The giraffe. |
A.He became fitter. |
B.He was more confident. |
C.He learned more about South Africa. |
1. What does the man think helps him the most to become successful?
A.Hard work. | B.Good training. | C.A set schedule. |
A.At about 8:30. | B.At about 9:20. | C.At about 9:50. |
A.Have lunch. |
B.Attend a team meeting. |
C.Do warm-up exercises. |
A.To make themselves relax. |
B.To notice the mistakes they’ve made. |
C.To know the kinds of tips the other team use. |
1. What are the man’s hobbies?
A.Snow and ice climbing. | B.Jumping and running. | C.Running and climbing. |
A.To keep fit and healthy. |
B.To work out difficult problems. |
C.To finish a course in physical training. |
A.Do cross-country running. |
B.Climb the Alps with his wife. |
C.Enter for the London Marathon. |
A.His after-work activities, |
B.His experience of mountain climbing. |
C.A training schedule for a professional athlete. |
1. When was the first reconstruction(重建)of Tokyo completed?
A.In 1923. | B.In 1930. | C.In 1945. |
A.The war. | B.An earthquake. | C.A fire disaster. |
A.Air pollution. | B.Waste treatment. | C.Housing shortages. |
During the summer before Patty entered fifth grade, she decided to try a new sport. Swim training was nearly over and Patty was the fastest swimmer in her age group. She had always been the best. The neighborhood was offering a one-week tennis training course. Patty and her friend Darla got permission from their parents to join.
On Saturday morning, Darla’s mom took the girls to a store and bought them each a good, used tennis racket. “If you girls stick to tennis, then we’ll talk about a new racket. These will do for now.” The girls were excited about their new purchases. On Monday morning, at 7:00 a.m., Patty’s mom woke her up. “It’s time for tennis!” Patty covered her face. “Mom, it’s too early!” She made great effort to get out of bed and down to the breakfast table. Patty finished breakfast and ran to Darla’s house, then they walked to the court.
Mrs. Cane, the tennis coach, lined everyone up and started with the basics. After that, Mrs. Cane tirelessly taught them to practice their forehand and backhand. By the end of the week, Patty had made impressive progress. Mrs. Cane commented that Patty had lots of potential. Darla, on the other hand, was struggling. The other teenagers were having a tough time of it, too. Patty was the only one who seemed to get somewhere.
Since then, Darla had always been out in the August heat, practicing her serves or hitting the ball. Patty wasn’t really interested. She felt she was such a “natural” for tennis that she really didn’t need to practice. By the end of the summer, Darla began to get the hang of it. She joined a neighborhood junior tennis team. There would be matches every Thursday. Patty wanted to join as well, but she didn’t want to miss her favorite TV show. She told herself that she would join it when she got some free time. If Darla had fun, she would join the team in the spring.
注意:
1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
The week before school started, Mrs. Cane held another training course.
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Patty couldn’t stop thinking of her poor performance on the way home.
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After watching my son Todd run in a race, I made my usual comment, “Todd, I can walk faster than those women run.” Todd laughed as he knew I wasn’t a runner. “Mom, how about you running with me next year in this race?” Without thinking, I quickly accepted this challenge. I felt this was going to be a piece of cake!
When it was almost time for the race to occur the next year, Todd had been in hospital for a long time because of a car accident. Todd and my friends started to encourage me to run the race. I decided I should keep my promise to Todd and run the race. The first thing I did was go out and buy some running clothes. I might as well look good even though I hadn’t trained at all.
The day of the race came. I wished Todd could be there with me, but I had to start off alone. It wasn’t long before some racers started to run next to me and talk to me. I wouldn’t like to talk because I wanted to focus on my running. However, one guy was very talkative. He kept saying how tired he was, and that I must be tired too. He talked on and on. The race was over and this guy’s wife won! I didn’t mind this result. I was just happy to finish the race and keep my promise to Todd.
Todd asked about the race when I went to the hospital. I told him what had happened and how this guy would not stop his negative talk. Todd laughed and set me straight, “Don’t you know what this guy was doing? He thought you were the competitor by the way you were dressed. He wanted his wife to win.” Only then did I figure out the truth, so I decided to continue taking part in the race the next year; I wanted to win this time.
The following year I did train. I even bought some tapes called “Win at Sports” and listened to them daily. These tapes gave ideas about staying behind and knowing when to make your move.
Paragraph 1:
When it was time for the race, I was all dressed and ready.
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Paragraph 2:
I stayed behind this guy’s wife in almost the whole race.
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